Instrument for playing shuffleboard



April -7 F. w. P. KRAUSE I 2,239,391

INSTRUMENT FOR PLAYING SHUFFLEBOARD Filed Sept. 5, 1939 mtom/cK WILL/AM PAUL KRAUSE INVENTOR.

' 1 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 22, 1941 OFFICE I INSTRUMENT FOR, PLAYING SHUFFLE- BOARD Frederick William Paul Krause, Decatur, Ill.

fl Application September 5, 1939, Serial No. 293,389

3 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for use in playing the game of shuflleboard, having the usual handle, but otherwise being of such improved construction and design as to not only facilitate the playing of the game, but to render the lasting qualities of the improved device of indefinite length.

Former devices of this nature have in general consisted of a handle having a' non-renewable head or frame, which, becoming worn or damaged from prolonged use, it was impossible to renew without discarding the entire head or frame, and in some cases the entire device.

These forms of devices have as a major defect the inability :to compensate for such variables as uneven wear of opposing sides or members thereof and the lack of balance due to such uneven wear, damage and roughness from denting and abrasion with resultant inaccuracies in the game.

Some of these dimculties may be handled, it is true, but not without repair routine as well as frequent expensive replacement.

It is therefore, an object of this invention to devise an instrument of this type which is capable of avoiding, by reason of its novel and relatively inexpensive construction, the difficulties incident upon undue repair, handling and discard.

A further object is the elimination of errors in playing the game, incident to inaccuracies of the ordinarily used instruments which are developed in the prolonged use thereof.

A major object is the attainment of ability to interchange or remove the contact members within a few moments time without the necessity of expensive tools or skilled labor.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

All of these objects have been attained by the novel arrangement of two matched light-weight contact members fixedly though removably mounted on oppositely disposed fingers of a forked frame member.

In order .to make my invention clear, reference is now made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective assembly view of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational assembly drawing of the fork portion of the device, a part thereof being in section to facilitate the showing of the mounting means for the contact members thereof.

Fig. 3 is an elevational assembly view taken tel. 273-429) transversely of Fig. 2, a portion of the handle member being shown partly in section and partly in elevation. I I

Fig. 4 is a perspective representation of one of the contact members of the invention.

In'the perspectiveassembly View, namely Fig. 1, the normally upper extremity is shown as having an overfitting end, preferably of rubber, to serve as a pad to the hand of the player, as a bumper to dull the shock of sharp contact with the floor while in players hands, and as a means of avoiding denting the floor.

In the showing of Fig. 2 the stem portion is designated by the numeral l0 and other parts as Well, are designated by reference numerals throughout the several views in the drawing and in the specification. The stem portion ll] of the frame II is indicated as having a relatively narrow groove l2 extending spirally from its end to the base of the fork members l3 to serve as a means for holding glue or cement used to fixedly mount the frame I l in the handle I 4 as shown in Fig. 3.

The brace member l5 integrally mounted between the outermost portion of the fork memhers I 3 provides strength and rigidity to said fork members. The holder ears l6 have the laterally disposed through hole I! to receive the bolt member [8, while the contact members l9 having the laterally disposed through hole I 9A are fixedly mounted on said ears It by means of said bolt member l8 extending through the holes l9A into threaded engagement with the nut I 8-A. The contact members [9 are substantially rectangularly shaped and slightly tapered at one end, while the flat face l9--B is adapted for fixed contact with and on the shoulder 20 of the ears [6.

The contact members I9 being thus fixedly positioned, the instrument is ready for play, and as the preferred material for said contact members I9 is a suitable kind of hard wood, it will appear obvious even to those unfamiliar with such instruments, that the corners of the contact members I!) which come in slidable contact with the floor become worn smooth so as to minimise any possibility of scratching or marring a highly finished floor, while the ready and inexpensive means for the renewal of said contact members IE! will be easily seen as a distinct and important advantage in prolonging indefinitely not only the usefulness of the instrument but also its continued good condition, as for example, on public courts, where it is subject to more or less severe and constant use.

I desire it to be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiment which has been specifically described, nor to the use for which it is intended, and that such changes as may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, with particular reference to design and construction, will be permissible except as they may be limited by prior art.

What I claim, therefore, is:

1. An apparatus comprising a forked frame, a stem portion on said frame for the purpose of mounting it in a handle, a brace member on said frame, oppositely disposed ears on said frame, said ears having on their inward face a seat which provides a rest for a detachable member, a substantially rectangularly shaped detachable member adapted for mounting on said ear members, a fiat face on one end of said detachable member, said flat face adapted to rest on said seat provided on said ear members, means for fixedly though detachably mounting said detachable members on said ear members.

2. An apparatus comprising a substantially triangularly shaped forked frame having a, brace member across and between a pair of fork members, a stem member at the juncture of said fork members, a spirally arranged groove in the surface of said stem member adapted to hold glue or cement for fixedly mounting said frame in a handle, substantially flat shaped ear members positioned opposite each other on said fork members, a fiat seat on the inner face of said ear members to provide a rest for said detachable members, a lateral through hole in said ear members, substantially flat and triangularly shaped detachable members slightly tapered at one end and having a lateral through hole therein, bolt and nut means for fixedly mounting said detachable members on said ear members.

3. A substantially V shaped frame having a cross brace and a pair of matched ear members extending parallelly from said frame, an inwardly facing flat seat on each of said ear members, a pair of matched detachable members adapted to fit on the seat on said ear members, a thru hole in each of said ear members in alignment with a thru hole in each of said detachable members, detachable bolt and nut means for securing said detachable members to said ear members in fixed position.

FREDERICK WILLIAM PAUL KRAUSE. 

